Increasing the use of modern digital technology is key to the development of tourism in Cambodia, said Chhay Sivlin, President of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA), recently.

Addressing a seminar on ‘Change Is for the Brave,’ organised jointly by CATA and Travelport at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh, on Friday, Sivlin said that the purpose of the seminar was to help tour operators and airline ticket sellers to acquaint with new technologies that can meet the needs of travellers around the world.

Digital technology, she pointed out, plays a major role in facilitating tourism services such as booking airlines, hotels and transport.

According to a press release by Cambodia Tourism Association, Sivlin said that the Travelport company, a provider of global booking services in tourism, should continue to focus on adopting new technologies that help provide faster and better services to tourists. “Travelport, a global provider of airline, hotel and car booking services, is contributing to attracting more and more tourists to Cambodia, which all tourism operators should pay attention to using this system,” Sivlin said.

She strongly believed that modern technology would continue to revolutionize the booking of airline tickets, hotel rooms, and transportation. It would also provide tourists with more options and better services.

Gary Harford, Senior Director of Commercial & Business Development at Travelport, said that a survey conducted among 2,000 tourists has revealed that their main concerns include choosing the location, accommodation, and transportation in addition to the price of the plane ticket.

He added that Travelport is accessed for booking airlines all around the world and tour operators use it to know which airline offers the best price and which hotel meets the needs and demands of their customers.

Harford noted that Travelport’s system is not just about booking airline tickets but it also helps travellers to book hotels and transportation across the globe.